Safe House is a program whereby Hope Police Officers will check on the status of properties when owners are absent for short durations such as vacations. Additionally Officers will check on the status of the elderly or special needs persons living in our area absent family or other support resources. To sign up for the program simply call the Hope Police Department at 870-777-3434 to speak with the Lieutenant of Patrol concerning your request or email your questions to jbush@hopearkansas.net. Be ready to provide us with the address and the name of the person related to your request, as well as your complete contact information including home and cellular phone in case of emergency.

2. CRIME AWARENESS

If you would like the Hope Police Department to present a Drug Awareness or other crime specific program at your school, civic group, business, church, or other group, please contact the Chief of Police at 870-777-3434 or through email at jwilson@hopearkansas.net for scheduling. The drug awareness program includes a presentation from a field officer, a visual presentation of various narcotics found in this area, and usually includes personal testimony of one who suffered from addiction.

3. OPERATION IDENTIFICATION

People work hard for their possessions and have collected cherished items throughout their lives. It is disappointing to loose these valuable items to thieves. The Hope Police Department recognizes this fact and places a major emphasis on the investigation of property crime as well as the recovery of property. Operation identification is a program whereby Officers will come to your home or business, help you identify your valuable property via photograph and recording of serial numbers or other special markings, help you file these items, and then leave these records in your possession for safe keeping. In the event an identified item is later stolen, information in this file may be provided to Officers in an effort to help recover your property.

4. LOCAL SEX OFFENDERS

The protection of our children and community against sexual predators is a top priority. To aid our citizens in this endeavor we have created a link to the Sex Offender Registry website. To view local sex offenders living in the Hope area, click HERE to go to the Arkansas Crime Information Center Sex Offender Directory. Click Accept when indicated. The Main sex Offender page will be displayed with a Map of the United States. Select Arkansas. After selecting Arkansas, in the County box, select Hempstead County. Hit the search button after entering Hempstead County and all registered sex offenders residing in Hempstead County will be displayed. You may select a name to view a photograph if one is available.

5. V.I.N.E.

If you would like to know the status of a person incarcerated in the Hope Area, or would like to be notified if a person is released from custody via the State of Arkansas VINE System, you may query the VINE system and register for notification. To do this, click HERE and follow the instructions provided on the screen to enter information concerning the person you are inquiring about. After searching for the individual entered, you will be notified of their custody status. If the system indicates a person is in custody, you may select detail to enter your email address or phone to be notified if the custody status changes.

6. A CHILD IS MISSING

Every 40 seconds a child is reported missing in the United States. Because of this, the Hope Police Department has partnered with a federally funded non-profit organization known as, "A Child Is Missing." This purpose of this partnership is the rapid recovery of missing children and elderly persons. This partnership allows Hope Police Officers to send emergency public safety announcements to telephones within a prescribed area via a telephony program that utilizes telephone database systems, geo-mapping, and satellite imagery. Approximately 1,000 telephone calls can be placed in 60 seconds. These messages usually begin with, "This is an emergency message from the Hope Police Department." The message will provide biographical and descriptive information of the missing person, the persons last known whereabouts, and a number the public may call to report information.

7. MORGAN NICK AMBER ALERT

The Amber Alert System is utilized in many states through out the U.S. In Arkansas, this system is referred to as the Morgan Nick Amber Alert System and is coordinated by the Arkansas State Police. The purpose of the system is the rapid dissemination of information pertaining to certain cases involving missing children. When the system is activated, information is provided to the public via television, radio, and other sources.

When the Hope Police Department receives information that a child is missing and suspects that a child faces a known threat of danger or is the object of criminal intent, the Hope Police Department will request activation of the Morgan Nick Amber Alert System. Local investigative personnel of the Arkansas State Police will assess the information provided. If the information provided meets established criteria, the National Emergency Alert System will be activated and information disseminated.

8. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM

The Hope Police Department works closely with the Hope Public School System to ensure the safety of our school children. Currently, 2 Police Officers are assigned to provide comprehensive resources in the schools to which they are assigned. The Center for the Prevention of School Violence's research-derived definition of an SRO is:

a certified law enforcement officer who is permanently assigned to provide coverage to a school or a set of schools. The SRO is specifically trained to perform three roles: law enforcement officer; law-related counselor; and law-related education teacher. The SRO is not necessarily a DARE officer (although many have received such training), security guard, or officer who has been placed temporarily in a school in response to a crisis situation but rather acts as a comprehensive resource for his/her school.